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"Peak Oil Isn't Dead; It Just Smells That Way"

"Emboldened by the recent exuberance over fracking in the United States, ... pundits now claim that the only thing that has peaked 'was the ability to argue that the era of oil, and hydrocarbons, was over.' Not one of them said a single word about the global rate of oil production, which is the essence of the peak oil question."

"Why get into the data when merely slinging mud at your opponents and proclaiming your faith will do?

A handful of other writers offered less ideological takes. Matt Yglesias confessed that he 'always found the 'Peak Oil' debate to be a little bit confusing' but recognized that there has been a profound price revolution: 'The good old days of genuinely abundant liquid fuel really do appear to be behind us,' he wrote. Noah Smith had the most informed post of the bunch, noting that the transition to unconventional oil is a big part of why prices have been rising, and that 'there is no substitute on the horizon' for good ol' crude."